daisy scouts ??

[NHdisneylover]

My daughter started as a kindergarten Daisy and is now a 5th grade Junior. I've been asst leader off and on and now I'm the troop leader. We love girl scouts. There's something really special and unique about girl scouts, particularly in our modern world. Girl Scouting today focuses on providing leadership opportunities that girls may not get in other settings. The girls learn to work effectively in a group and take on different roles. Plus, its really fun.

My daughter said to tell you, "Starting Girl Scouts as a Daisy and continuing in Girl Scouts has been on the of the best life lessons I could have. I've learned to help people and make the community a better place."

I find it interesting when people imply that your daughter is too young or she has too much going on now already. Daisy Girl Scouts is designed specifically for her age group and the activities are entirely age appropriate. Usually, troops only meet once or twice a month so its not a huge commitment.

I say give it a try.

So many girls drop out around high school (and I can understand, they get overloaded with so much else at that age). With a girl who really loves scouting, make sure she sees the council wide opportunities in middle and high school that she can do even if her troop scatters. My daughter got so much out of her destination trip (volunteering at a camp for girls with special needs), attending Girl Scout Leadership Institute at convention and being a delegate at convention. And as a bonus she met so many people from all over that literally every place she looked at going to college she already knew someone there and she had people contacting her asking her to work at their council summer camps this year--she did not even have to go looking for work!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I don't have girls, but my neighbor's two started at Daisy level and loved it! One is a Brownie now and one a Junior, and they are still my favorite little cookie sources. As a PP said, they both gained a lot of confidence from it. They're quiet girls in school, and the small group really encouraged them to speak up.

 

[mamamary]

My daughter joined the Daisy scouts when she was in kindergarten. She stayed with the same group up until she quit scouts in middle school. I was glad she joined and so was she.

 

[cabanafrau]

We did NOT camp as Brownies
We started in 5 th grade- just locally
We did out of state camping 7th & 8Th. grades

I agree about a good leader- ours was wonderful
My son did not have a good leader in Cub Scouts- we only did one year

Scouting has changed a lot. My younger DD got an opportunity to camp as a kindergarten Daisy Scout because of a special set of circumstances with her leadership -- one of the four leaders was a GS trainer who was going to be up at the camp for some trainer functions for troops & their leaders and because of that DD's Daisy troop got to tag along with a Brownie troop. So yes, leadership impacts the scouting experience tremendously.

 

[cabanafrau]

One of the best advantages of scouting IMO is the opportunity to participate in an activity that isn't a single activity, but potentially exposes you to many interests to explore. My younger DD still participates in HS in activities she first tried as a Daisy Scout.

OP, I notice that you said you were looking for a winter activity for your DD. Scouts is a school year activity, occasionally longer depending on the leadership.

 

[NewRVLady]

Interesting. My kids were not ready for just a sleepover at that age

 

[Mizzoufan]

I'd let her join. It a great way to make friends and learn a lot.

 

[cabanafrau]

Interesting. My kids were not ready for just a sleepover at that age

My younger DD was a more clingy, mommy help me, mommy do for me kinda gal. She understood the concept & fun of sleepovers because she has an older sister. She had a few good friends in the troop & four leaders, two of whom had years and years of GS experience. Because they were guests of another troop moms weren't accompanying. I decided to bite the bullet and push my chick out of the nest. One of my best parenting decisions, hands down. (As a parent those moments are few and far between, so I gotta take my bows where I can.) I even encouraged one of her friend's moms to send her DD despite her reservations. We felt lower than dirt and sadder than sad when they pulled away from the parking lot, but it ended up being a great experience for the girls. My DD ended up leaving the troop in HS because to remain would have meant sacrificing too many other opportunities for a troop that really only held hang out meetings where they got pizza anymore, but those friendships and the experience were so great for her.

 

[Gracie09]

Both my daughters are Daisy Scouts. They love it. Its not too much of a time commitment for us. One set meeting a month and maybe another activity. They also get exposed to community service through some of the activities.

 

[sharona]

We have Daisies at our school and my daughter has been in since kindergarten and I have been assistant leader. She is now a Brownie in 2nd grade and it has been a great experience. She had a wonderful head leader and I think that makes the difference. In kindergarten the meetings were once a month in the evenings and they did fun crafts and games along with learning to earn badges. She has formed some great friendships, it helped her overcome the shyness of being in school and i have been able to get to know a lot of parents through it as well. I feel it has been a great opportunity in our school.

I signed my DD up for Daisy in 1st grade and she loved it. My neighbor and I ended up forming and leading the troop of our daughters and about 15 other girls. Through the younger years it was really more like a monthly play date/craft club but definitely a great opportunity for your DD to enjoy time with friends and for you to get to know their moms. The activities sponsored by the local Girl Scout council can be a lot of fun - mother/daughter dances, bowling, pj parties, nature walks...

Some troops meet more often than others and focus more on earning badges and nature skills whereas others are more casual. Community service is also encouraged. It is really all about how the leaders plan and run the troop.

 

[cmarsh31]

My daughter is just about to start her first year as a Brownie after two years as a Daisy. It's been a wonderful experience for her. It definitely depends on the troop - luckily all of the issues we've had have been at the adult level so she has been unaffected. It's generally only a 1-2 hour a month commitment, definitely not a big deal for a Kindergartner.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Interesting. My kids were not ready for just a sleepover at that age

Some kids are ready and some are not. I have had 5 year olds camp with troops I lead who had no issues being away from home at all and at the same camporee had a 13 year old want to (and actually) go home because it was too hard for her to be away overnight. My own daughter was a young teen before she was comfortable staying overnight at a scout event without knowing I was somewhere on property (some of her camporees I was not her leader, but I did lead other troops in the area so was still there somewhere with my troop).

Any good leader makes sure that girls who are not ready do not feel like they have to go, and allows them to stay into the evening and be picked up (and even brought back the next morning if parents are willing to drive, etc) -- but, personally, I don't think it is fair to the girls who are ready to not offer that chance. Right now I lead a mixed group of Daisies and Brownies and all of those little ones at our camporee in June adored camping and ask at every meeting when we can do it again (at the end of the month!)

 

[NHdisneylover]

One of the best advantages of scouting IMO is the opportunity to participate in an activity that isn't a single activity, but potentially exposes you to many interests to explore. My younger DD still participates in HS in activities she first tried as a Daisy Scout.
.

This is such an excellent point!

 

[Lilacs4Me]

DD did Girl Scouts from Kindergarten (skipping 1st grade because we moved) through 5th grade. Daisy's was K-1, Brownies 2-3, and Juniors 4-5.


She loved every year she was in until the end of 5th grade. As Daisy's they only met once a month for about 90 minutes, and most the activities were play or craft-based when earning their "petals". Hardly a huge commitment, and she loved going to the meetings and getting to hang out with her troop. I think they did one or two field trips, like to a local bakery to see how the business worked, and to a farm or something. They got to wear their Daisy aprons to school on meeting days, which they loved showing off.

Brownies met every other week for an hour. They did more work for their badges, and a lot more field trips. They also created and ran games for the school's annual carnival, and did service projects over the period of several months. They participated in parades, community events, and school events. They also did an overnight each year - once they spent the night at a museum, and once at a fitness/aquatic center. They also camped in 3rd grade. DD got so much out of Brownies that she would have never done on her own.

Juniors started to present a challenge because DD was involved in a sport that required mandatory attendance for the first half of the school year. DD participated as much as she could and went back to scouts full time in Jan. In 5th grade, we pretty much just opted out of the first part of the year and didn’t commit to DD doing anything with her troop (her leader used to send the materials home with her to do on her own time in 4th grade; but in 5th we just said doing so was not necessary because there was no way DD was going to have time to do them anyway.) She went back more consistently for the 2nd half, but we knew that GS time was coming to an end. She was losing interest and with the same commitments plus more going into middle school for 6th grade, GS just wasn't important to her anymore.

Absolutely NO regrets for any of it! The younger years of GS presented amazing opportunities for DD to learn and experience things she would have never would have known or done, and to make friendships with girls she never had class with (5 classrooms per grade in our elem school). I would absolutely recommend starting your DD in Daisy’s because they only get busier when they get older and scouts often takes a backseat to other activities and increased schoolwork.

Good luck!

 

[foohpah]

Girl Scouts are definitely more than just a winter activity. Most troops meet during the school year and take the summer off but some troops still have meetings or events all year long. Each troop runs differently and will do different things so as others have mentioned the troop leadership is key. Daisies are just K-1st graders so it does tend to be more play-based and craft activities. The girls typically start by earning "petals" for their uniform - one petal for each of the 10 parts of the GS law (friendly and helpful, courageous and strong, responsible for what I say and do, etc.).

I am in my 6th year as a Girl Scout leader. My daughter wanted to join as a Daisy in K and they needed leaders. I had been a GS for many years as a girl and becoming a leader gave me a chance to give back to an organization that taught me so much. I didn't realize how much I learned in GS until I was older. My daughter is now a 5th grade Junior and working on her Bronze Award project making cloth hearts for the Preemie Project to donate to a local NICU. It has been a fantastic program for her and I know she would highly encourage any girl with an interest to try it out.

 

[BLAZEY]

My DD6 is in her 2nd year of Sparks (the Canadian equivilant of Daisy Scouts). She loves it. Ours are not run through the school but have a catchment area which includes a couple of the local elementary schools. The do crafts, talk about what it means to be a friend, do nature walks, halloween/ xmas parties. The meet Tuesdays at the guide and scout hall from 6-7pm. The also do community service projects with the older girls (Hike for Hunger to collect food for the food bank etc). I was a Brownie, Girl Guide and Pathfinder. My mother is still a District Guider and a Trefoil Guild member. Speaking fo which I am off to sell Girl Guide cookies at work. I wonder how long the will last .

 

[wilkeliza]

I was thinking about this last night. I know you said you weren't a scout but I have to admit one of my favorite memories of all time was that as a girl scout I got to do things my mom had done previously. When I was a daisy it was just a very quick introduction to the scouts. We learned the "pledge" and the foundation of what made a good girl scout. We also did some easy crafts and then one easy community service project. I believe if memory serves me correct we sang to elderly people at a home during the holiday time. Then we graduated to brownies and I still remember the ceremony of walking over the bridge at our district meeting. As brownies we got more into the projects portion of girl scouts. All these years later (over 20 now) I still remember how happy I was that my troop made "purses" that also served as seat pads. My mother's troop made the same thing when they so that you could have a cushion you made to sit on the ground during meetings and it had a pouch so you could put your scout guide and then we put our pins on the shoulder. I was so proud of mine!

Although your daughter won't have that connection to scouting with you it is possible she will have that connection with her daughter one day.

 

[BLAZEY]

I was thinking about this last night. I know you said you weren't a scout but I have to admit one of my favorite memories of all time was that as a girl scout I got to do things my mom had done previously. When I was a daisy it was just a very quick introduction to the scouts. We learned the "pledge" and the foundation of what made a good girl scout. We also did some easy crafts and then one easy community service project. I believe if memory serves me correct we sang to elderly people at a home during the holiday time. Then we graduated to brownies and I still remember the ceremony of walking over the bridge at our district meeting. As brownies we got more into the projects portion of girl scouts. All these years later (over 20 now) I still remember how happy I was that my troop made "purses" that also served as seat pads. My mother's troop made the same thing when they so that you could have a cushion you made to sit on the ground during meetings and it had a pouch so you could put your scout guide and then we put our pins on the shoulder. I was so proud of mine!

Although your daughter won't have that connection to scouting with you it is possible she will have that connection with her daughter one day.

My DD6 is a 4 generation Girl Guide. My Gannies was one, my mom is one, I was one, and now her. It's never to late to start !

 

[HM]

We skipped Daisy scouts (I didn't know about sign-ups) and went to Brownies with my DD. However, all the others girls in her troup had been together for two years already.

 

[SureAsLiz]

I was never a Daisy Scout, but I was a scout from Brownie to Senior (technically to my senior year, but our troop had pretty much dissolved by the start of JR year due to people moving).
My sister was a Daisy and still talks about some of the things they did.

Scouting is wonderful, and it is a great way to be exposed to a bunch of different potential interests. If your leader is great, then the whole program will be great. We did camping as Brownies, and by my senior year our troop was in charge of running the entire district camp. It probably helped that I was in Colorado, so there were a ton of short, close camping opportunities available. We spent time at museums, learned history and art and science, went all out with cookie sales. I think my brownie troop was the most decorated in the district, and I had to buy a second vest by to hold all the badges.

I would suggest signing her up and at least giving it a shot. If she doesn't like it, she can always leave and try again in a few years if she wants